This is one of many programming languages used to connect websites to databases and make them interactive. It is one of the most popular languages and the world's most popular website (Facebook) is written in it.

Free to everyone with no license fees, keeping your costs low.

There are plenty of PHP software developers all over the world, meaning you won't be stuck with a website no one can work with.

There is already a massive amount of free software written in this language, keeping your costs low.

MySQL

This is a free and open source database. For most purposes in terms of websites the paid alternatives are not significantly better. Adheres to the SQL standard.

Keeps your costs low without sacrificing functionality or speed.

Your data is stored in an open format that is compatible with other platforms, avoiding "vendor lock-in".

Flash

If there's animation and video on a website then it's most likely to be Adobe Flash. It's a very bad idea to build a whole website with this but when used for small areas of video and interactivity nothing comes close.

Can significantly enhance the user experience of your website leading to more visitors staying longer and purchasing more.